Tees Queenie

margarita · Post by **margarita** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:06 am

During WW11 my mother was in the ATS and was posted to gun-sites all over the place as a radar operator.

One of the sites that she mentions is Tees Queenie, which, I think was near Edinburgh.

Google searches have drawn a blank.

Does the name mean anything to anyone - would there be any photos anywhere?

Mum is 85 now and is fast losing her memory regarding recent events. However, she can remember her time in the ATS very clearly. Some photos or other info would give us something new to talk about.

Thanks in advance,

maggie

Adam Brown · Post by **Adam Brown** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:36 pm

Maggie

Have you tried the Defence of Britain Project?

http://www.britarch.ac.uk/projects/DOB/index.html

Regards

Adam

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:42 pm

Hi Maggie
There are a couple of mentions of ATS in the Edinburgh area in the following memories ..not sure if these are relevant. You may have seen them already and ruled them out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 9210.shtml

I went up to Scotland, to Edinburgh to start my signal training, which took some time. I chose to be a teleprinter operator because the rate of pay was higher. I think altogether I received under a pound a week, but I enjoyed it.

I then went to a place called Tinto in Symington, where I carried on with the Signals. I decided to learn Morse and take a trade test: sending and receiving messages in Morse. After this I was posted to the Ack Ack Command in Edinburgh where I stayed until ’43, I think, working day or night shifts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stor ... 5200.shtml

A few of us A.T.S. were sent to Edinburgh to work in offices. We lived in commandeered houses in Glencairn Crescent not far from the English Cathedral. They were lovely large houses...

Best wishes
Lesley

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 5:24 am

Hello Maggie,

“Queenie” is probably a code name for “Q” as in Morse Code. There doesn’t appear to be one for “Tees”. Chances are “Tees” was a district and “Q – Queenie” was the code for a particular gun-site or radar installation or whatever within that district. It may have been in the middle of nowhere or anywhere at all capable of being used for such a purpose and where it was needed. http://www.sckans.edu/~sireland/radio/code.html

You would think it would be in the River Tees area. Middlesbrough and Stockton were major targets and suffered much bombing. It’s not too far from Scotland.

Some photos of wartime relics
http://www.hidden-teesside.co.uk/catego ... me-relics/

For many more photos search here for ATS
http://www.gettyimages.com/Home.aspx

Some interesting ATS stuff here
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/asummerof44/m ... ction.html

Not all quite the real thing but
http://www.ackacklivinghistory.org.uk/aboutus.htm

Just guessing,
Alan

margarita · Post by **margarita** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:44 pm

Thanks, everyone for your responses. There were some web-sites there that I hadn't come across before, so some exploring to do

Currie wrote:
“Queenie” is probably a code name for “Q” as in Morse Code. There doesn’t appear to be one for “Tees”. Chances are “Tees” was a district and “Q – Queenie” was the code for a particular gun-site or radar installation or whatever within that district. It may have been in the middle of nowhere or anywhere at all capable of being used for such a purpose and where it was needed. http://www.sckans.edu/~sireland/radio/code.html

You would think it would be in the River Tees area. Middlesbrough and Stockton were major targets and suffered much bombing. It’s not too far from Scotland.

Mum was posted to Middlesbrough for a while (that's where she met Dad) so maybe she has got the sites mixed up.

It's something for us to talk about anyway.

Thanks again.

maggie

Hugo · Post by **Hugo** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:02 am

Remember there was a war on.

It is highly lightly that the site was given an arbitrary, official designation of TQ thus giving no hint of its location.